A retirement deal for the outgoing leader of Omaha Public Schools puts a dent in the board's budget.

After the Omaha School board went into executive session Monday morning, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dennis Pool announced several adjustments to the district's budget.

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Pool told the board that, after review of contract, the calculated supplemental retirement benefit provided to Dr. John Mackiel was $924,875.97.

Mackiel also received $18,368.93 for unused vacation "over an extended period of time" and $67,824.00 from a health reimbursement account pay in on behalf of the superintendent.

That means Mackiel will leave his post with a check for $1,011,068.90.

The million-dollar payout caught OPS a little off guard. The district thought Mackiel's payout for unused benefits and retirement would be about one-fifth of the actual figure.

"There was $200,000 set aside for the supplemental retirement plan," said OPS spokesman David Patton.

Patton said the district had to make financial adjustments to meet the contractual payout.

"There's a contingency budget that resides here within the main office budgets, so that's where 600 (thousand) of it is coming from," Patton said. "And then 200 (thousand) was also within the board office's budget."

Patton said OPS had to wait until Mackiel officially retired last month to calculate his supplemental benefits. But Omaha Education Association President Chris Proulx said it's not so much the price tag that concerns him, it's the fact that the number was a surprise to the school board.

"You would think that the board, as being the overseers of the districts and the day-to-day operations, would be well aware of the monies owed to their employees," Proulx said.

Proulx said the payout may not have immediate effects on the district, but it will in the long term.

"They're going to have to be replenishing that fund, which means less monies available somewhere else," Proulx said.

Some school board members said there's no way any board member would talk to the media regarding the issue. Others, including Mackiel, didn't return phone calls from KETV NewsWatch 7.

The million-dollar supplemental retirement benefit is in addition to Mackiel's pension.